by Colleen OwensRichmond Mayor Dwight Jones refuses to face law abiding Tea Party as he appeases law breaking Occupy Richmond

The Richmond City Council meeting November 14 was quite an eye opening experience. There were about sixty Richmond Tea Party supporters, including Chester Patriots and Mechanicsville Tea Party attending. Also there in equal numbers, were the Occupy Richmond group. The council meeting drug on for three long painful hours of mostly driveling nonsense, with the Mayor sitting mutely in his seat. We had called Councilman Tyler the day before asking if we could be recognized earlier in the meeting and he told us that it could not be done, even though a former councilwoman told us they could(that is why the request was made).

Related News Story | VARIGHTEight people are allowed to speak during the public comment time; you must call prior to the date to get a slot to speak. At the end of the regular agenda, the Mayor left without saying a word. Mayor Jones knew most of us were there to address our concerns, he obviously did not think us worth his time.The reality is that both the Richmond Tea Party and the Occupy people came to speak because of a situation that the Mayor created.

The Occupy Richmond (which could also be called Obamaville Richmond), did not really help themselves with their speaker line up. The three or four people that spoke, rambled about the puppet masters, evil corporations running the Federal Reserve blahdy blah blah. Now don’t misunderstand, the Richmond Tea Party has a problem with the Federal Reserve and with corporate welfare and bailouts, but we see the corruption and ineptitude, originating in Washington DC.

Two representatives from the Richmond Tea Party addressed the city council. Dorothy Bruno, addressed the costs to taxpayers caused by the Mayor’s choice to not enforce the law:

“The city government will be paying these bills with monies that could have used for programs affected by budget cuts. Taxpayers are owed an accounting of expenses paid by not enforcing the law.”

And Colleen Owens addressed the unequal application of the law:

"Mayor Jones stated he was a child of the civil rights movement. A movement that demanded equal treatment for all citizens. Now that he is the one in power, rights are those he can dole out according to his whim........If there is a justification for this apparent different treatment, please provide it, and if no valid justification exists, City Council must take corrective action, and reimburse the Tea Party for its expenditures.”

Councilman Jewell actually spoke up and said he agreed that the Richmond Tea Party deserves to get our money back! Councilman Tyler had previously been quoted saying the same thing. Whether or not they have any authority to make that happen is not yet clear, but the Richmond Tea Party Board will definitely follow up to see what steps we just take to get this accomplished. Perhaps Umesh V. Dalal, Internal Auditor for the City of Richmond will assist us in discovering all the costs to the City, as a result of Mayor Dwight Jones’ decision to allow the laws to be broken.

-- The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. (Patrick Henry, 1775)

Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.' George Washington